Hello to all, Hello to myself,

Today, I asked my son what he liked most about Christmas.

There was a gentle pause… and then he calmly replied, “Everything.”

…

It just seemed liked the best possible answer and an answer of true wisdom for how we should relate to all things and experiences.  It made me think about great peace and great balance.  His answer meant so much more than a child’s impression of getting presents and eating candies from his stocking.  Moreover, it was not about a holiday or the meaning of that holiday.  It was an expression of simple joy, happiness, peace, appreciation, and equanimity.

What is the best form of equanimity?  Maybe it is not when things are neither high, nor low… and not when things are neither bad or good.  Maybe, it is when we can see everything as “the best part of… our day, this event, that experience, whatever…”

Of course, a child can see that so clearly, without trying… his mind is so much more free and pure.  He is not thinking about one thing being better than another.  He doesn’t feel a compulsion to compare things and create a separation of value through judgement.  He just likes everything, because as they say in the Lego Movie, “Everything is Awesome.”

Confession:  I don’t always see everything this way.  I probably see everything as very far from awesome most of the time.  But, hearing this profound message, hidden in a simple answer to my whimsical question, was a great reminder and opportunity to see this truth more clearly.  It is also pretty cool when a 9 year old speaks such wisdom to his foggy-minded old dad.

I want to see everything as awesome.  And I know that I still have a long way to go before I will get there.  On a sidenote, I do know this… “my kids are awesome!”  And, that fills me with great joy.

Thank you for being, Michael.